The Searchers Quick Movie Reviews

Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 05/06/2022

"The Searchers" is everything a western can be: filled with action and adventure, humorous, read as a commentary on a changing country (the frontier of the Old West stands in place of the racial battleground of 1950s America). Add in John Ford and John Wayne at the top of their craft, and you have a genuine masterpiece.

SIngli6 - wrote on 12/28/2020

I don't think you can get sexier than Jeffrey Hunter's boyish charm in this movie. Not much else to say, really. It's a great story with a great ending and a charismatic performance from John Wayne, and here I am preoccupied with how hot Jeffrey Hunter is. Says more about me than it does this solid classic.

SteelCity99 - wrote on 04/21/2018

The stunning comeback of the strongest western Hollywood duo (Ford & Wayne) since the everlasting Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers has all of the classic and required elements in order to be a memorable legend among its genre. The wonderful thing about Golden Age dramas was that they, although melodramatically, touched family and moral topics that nowadays are forgotten. This feature-film, as a unique western, praises that as well. 97/100

Unknown - wrote on 03/03/2014

The best collaboration between Wayne and Ford. A rough and dirty western made with grandeur and scope. Wayne plays a different kind of hero, one who lacks empathy in certain situations and shows deep seeded racism. There's a smooth balance between the rousing action, sincere drama, and light comedy. A thoroughly entertaining journey.

Mark - wrote on 02/20/2014

John Wayne and John Ford made some of the best westerns ever brought to the silver screen, and this one is easily the best, in fact, it is one of the top five best westerns ever made, period. Wayne plays the dark and brooding Ethan who spends years searching for his niece who has been kidnapped by Indians. His hatred for Indians and fear that his niece has been turned into one, keeps you wondering until the end what his decisions will be. A great supporting cast with Jeffrey Hunter, and Ward Bond add some comic relief to this classic. If you are not a Duke fan but like westerns, this is a must see, and if you are a fan, well I'm sure you have seen it many times over.

Yojimbo - wrote on 01/05/2013

John Ford and John Wayne made many superb westerns together and this is lauded as the best ever made. A little generous I think, but this is still an intelligent and beautifully shot film about obsession, racism and revenge.

mitchellyoung - wrote on 09/11/2011

John Wayne embodies the role of a grizzled cowboy tracker and spits out some of his most memorable lines. The landscape is photographed beautifully and John Ford presents an iconic and nuanced portrait of broken characters in a vast Western setting that is haunting and adventurous, simultaneously.

donkeyknight - wrote on 05/03/2011

Now _this_ I can understand why people call a classic. "What do I have to do, draw you a picture?!" Nope, what we don't see imprints itself on the mind just as much as the gorgeous landscapes and the conflicted characters. Will this movie ever be forgotten? "That'll be the day."

woody - wrote on 04/03/2011

John Wayne is enjoyably irascible and brutish as Ethan Edwards in this classic western. Jeffrey Hunter as the wanna-be nephew Ethan inexplicably shuns is a bit annoying, as is Vera Miles as Hunter's pining gal back home. The injuns are mostly evil savages, a Mexican senorita pointlessly twirls around a cantina with castanets, and a Swedish farmer has a silly cliche accent--but aside from these quibbles, it's a wonderful story, well-directed by John Ford. It's worth watching for the Monument Valley backdrop alone. (The story's set in Texas, but that landscape is Utah/Arizona all the way.)

sodapop - wrote on 02/14/2008

The Duke in an undoubtedly complex and yes, emotionally versatile role. His most in fact. Give it a watch even if you aren't one for westerns or Mr. Wayne.